When Strangers Meet
by Starcrossed28
Summary: A/U in college. Based upon the experiment of strangers meeting to kiss on screen. Clarke and friends offer to help Lincoln's friend with her psychology experiment. Initially a 2-shot but could be expanded if wanted to show what happens after the camera stops rolling... Sorry if this doesn't sound enticing enough, new to writing ;) Clexa and more hook-ups/couples you know and love.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was streaming through the cherry blossoms trees and though the day was humid there was a cool breeze drifting ever so slightly through the tresses of her long blonde hair. Around her other students were milling around, some going to class, some relaxing on the lawns of the grounds, groups studying together and in the far corner a group of guys were throwing a football to each other.

Her eyes drifted up from the sketchpad, meticulously taking in every detail of the girl sitting in a group she had been observing for the last twenty minutes. Casting her eyes back down to the sheet below her a small smile crept over her features. She liked setting herself these challenges. Trying to capture the essence of strangers from casual observations of body language and small quirks they unknowingly presented. It was a favourite past time of hers, sketchbook at hand or not, just watching people. The challenge was capturing this not knowing how long her unknown subjects would present her with. It made her an astute judge of character over time, really looking at people, seeing them and not just the air they aimed to portray. It all started when she had come across a Japanese proverb of The Three Faces during a psychology elective the past semester. The first face you show to the world, the second to your family and friends and the third you never show to anyone but yourself. It is the truest reflection of oneself.

The proverb resonated deeply with Clarke. She had thought back to how in her early teens she had been uprooted from her life in Australia to the other side of the world in Washington DC. How quiet she had been, unsure of these new surroundings. She had tried to portray confidence to those around her but it wasn't until she met her friends that she really started to feel that she could belong. It had been a difficult adjustment, her Mom working all hours at the hospital and her Dad had been kept tied up with the engineering career they had relocated for. If it hadn't been for Octavia and Bellamy taking her under their wing she may not have found her place at all. She often pondered how others saw her compared to how she saw herself and if that had changed over the years.

With the last few strokes of the charcoal she felt she had accomplished capturing the girl before her eyes. The contrast of her small lithe frame yet the strength she portrayed in her stance. Back straight, shoulders squared and chin ever so slightly tipped up. To the casual eye she would appear arrogant but Clarke looked deeper and saw a quiet confidence. The air of authority around the girl was only further confirmed by the group she was with. Every now and again they would speak yet look towards her as if seeking confirmation or approval. Occasionally the girl would allow a smirk to grace her lips but never quite a smile. It could be assumed the girl would be prim and proper but Clarke smiled at the small tell of rebellion, the design unknown from the distance but she could hazard it was a tribal design that inked her skin. Clarke couldn't deny the girl was stunningly beautiful, even from across the quad she could see the elegance to her face. Her jawline and high cheekbones pronounced further by her wild yet controlled brown locks, pulled tightly back into a myriad of braids that flowed down to her shoulders. Clarke mused over how she could see the girl as a proud Amazonian warrior, sun kissed skin with a light sheen of sweat as she rallied her army to battle with a ferocious swing of her sword and even louder battle cry.

Clarke was startled out of her musings by slender strong arms wrapping themselves around her shoulders and neck as a body came into contact with her back. "Creeping again weirdo?" came the teasing lilt of her best friends' voice. With a slight jump, Clarke turned her head and scowled at the brunette, her green eyes alight with mischief. Octavia was the all American girl to the outside, beautiful strong features and athletic body with a take no shit attitude. Much like Clarke had felt when she had first arrived in DC, Octavia too felt like she didn't quite belong, strengthening the bond between them. As they grew together through high school by the time they had graduated and joined college they were proud to say they had come out stronger, confident and more self-aware than when they had first met.

"I'm not creeping! It's an assignment I'm working on..." Clarke defended. Whilst it wasn't necessarily true, the proverb had inspired her and as such for her final submission she wished to complete a series of self-portraits based upon the perspective of the three faces. Always one to push herself to the limit Clarke didn't want to stop there and wished to make it a collection with volunteers. She had yet to approach people to see if they would be willing to show that vulnerability to her.

"Looks more like perving to me" With Octavia releasing her hold on Clarke, the sight of her smirking friend Raven appeared. "Call it art if you want but we both know it's just an excuse to look at pretty girls and hot boys" Raven continued to tease.

Rolling her eyes Clarke shook her head at the torment of her friends. Raven had come into her life near the end of her senior year by unfortunate circumstance. Despite Raven having already left for college she had come back to their hometown to spend time with her boyfriend during spring break, what she hadn't expected to find was that her boyfriend Finn was cheating on her with an unknowing Clarke. When it all came to light Clarke had expected to make an enemy but with their equal disgust at Finns' actions they had somehow managed to become friends. Looking back Clarke liked to call it a time of serendipity, friendship blossoming from broken hearts.

"Just because I'm single Raven doesn't mean I'm eye-sexing everyone in sight, that's Octavia" she retorted, throwing a cheeky smile to her other friend.

Bringing her hand up to her forehead Octavia fiend offense before laughing good naturedly. "What I can't help it," she replied shrugging her shoulders, "I no longer have the constraint of an over-bearing big brother staring daggers into any guy that looks my way."

Octavia did have a point, in high school any guy that looked her way was met with a fierce gaze from Bellamy if they were lucky. Those that didn't take the hint, well the girls didn't know what happened to them. It was enough however for them to keep their distance long after Bellamy left for the army.

As the girls settled down beside Clarke she couldn't help subconsciously looking back at the group that had caught her interest earlier. Scanning the now smaller crowd she couldn't help but feel a disappointment that her subject had since moved on. What remained of the group made their way around the quad placing posters on the notice boards.

Following her gaze, Octavia too turned towards the group, letting out a low whistle. "Damn, sign me up for art too if I can get up close and personal with him."

"Oooh,which one?" Raven leaned forward, suddenly more interested in "perving" as she had previously called it.

"The hunk in the red shorts" Octavia replied pointing.

Turning her attention to the man Octavia was now openly devouring with her eyes, Clarke felt a hint of recognition as she studied him further. He was wearing a pair of red board shorts, showing powerful calf muscles, a plain white tee which clung to his well-defined back and a matching red baseball cap. It finally dawned on her she knew him as he turned to face the threesome, his face now in perfect view.

"Oh, I know him, that's Lincoln, we did some pre-med classes together" Clarke stated casually.

Octavia turned to her with wide eyes, "That's Lincoln? Why the hell did you never introduce us?" she asked incredulously.

Recalling the reason why she had never introduced the two Clarke lowered her eyes to the ground and took a steadying breath before replying, "I was going to but then the accident happened..." she trailed off.

Grimacing, Octavia stretched her hand out until it rested on Clarkes forearm in a bid to offer comfort whilst Raven similarly squeezed Clarkes' knee reassuringly. Over the last few months Clarke had been returning to her former self but it had been a hard journey for the girl to recover from the sudden loss of her father during a tragic work accident. She had started out in pre-med at her Moms insistence but her Dad had always encouraged her to follow her dreams and do what truly made her happy. With his sudden loss Clarke had felt she owed her Dad to follow his advice and do what made her happy. Switching her studies to Art, she couldn't think of a better way to honour him than to follow her dreams of creating beauty in a sometimes dark world. It may have been a hobby but he had always been her most avid supporter and fan and she had to admit, as modest as she is, her work is pretty good.

"I'm sorry Clarke" Octavia began

"-Don't," Clarke interrupted, "it's okay. You didn't know." Taking another steadying breath Clarke pushed down the horrible memories that tried to resurface, "you know what, how about I introduce you guys now?"

"No Clarke, its okay, don't worry about it."

With a small smile forming on her lips Clarke turned to Octavia, "its okay, really, I want to."

Closing her sketchbook Clarke swiftly got to her feet before tucking it under her arm. Octavia looked to Raven who shrugged in response before getting up herself. Closing the distance Clarke noticed Lincoln was carrying sheets of paper loosely in one hand, the other attaching a sheet to the notice board, as she was within a few steps she called out to him. "Hey stranger, it's been a while" she smirked.

Turning around Lincoln smiled at the sight before him, they hadn't known each other long but he respected the girl that stood before him. She had been a natural in class, easy smiles and eager to help those around her. Suddenly half way through the semester however she had become withdrawn. Her smile no longer a permanent feature on her face and her eyes less vivid and alive. He missed that side of Clarke, having been partnered up with the girl they had a relaxed easy going relationship where they were soon able to tease each other and have a friendly competition over who would make the better doctor someday. He had tried to be there for her. Eventually she had opened up to him over her father's untimely death. Offering what comfort he could, he knew it was little to help ease the pain but she had thanked him for his efforts. A few short weeks later she confided in him that she would be leaving the course to pursue her passion. Whilst Lincoln knew she would make an excellent doctor one day and the world would be at a loss without her talent he never tried to discourage her, her bravery to pursue her dreams being yet another quality he had admired in her.

Closing the distance between them he pulled her into a tight embrace, the happiness clear in his voice, "Clarke, it has indeed" pulling back he gave her another dazzling smile before looking her over, "you look good Griffin."

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him, "yeah well someone has got to try and give you a run for your money." She teased trying to divert the attention away from her. "How have you been?"

"Aww you know, same old, working hard and trying to live life to the fullest y'know?" he grinned, "how about you? Look at you looking all arty with the sketchbook and smudges of charcoal on your cheek"

Feeling a heat quickly rise to her cheek, she quickly brushed the back of her hand against her cheek to remove the light dusting that she didn't know had been residing there, turning to her friends who had formed behind her to watch the sweet reunion, she scowled at them as they tried to hide their amusement.

"Thanks guys" she muttered sarcastically to them.

With bouncing shoulders and mirth in her eyes Octavia replied with a barely contained laugh and a "You're welcome."

Raven just smirked before replying, "Hey it looked good on you, could have almost passed for an engineering student, _almost_."

Turning back to Lincoln who had been intently watching the banter between the three girls Clarke nodded her head to her two friends, rolling her eyes in the process. "Lincoln, allow me to introduce you to these two reprobates whom I can hardly keep control over, this is Raven..."

With a dip of her head in acknowledgement Raven casually greeted Lincoln, "Whats s'up."

Clarke continued, "...and this is Octavia."

Lincoln looked over to Octavia, their eyes meeting and the hint of a slight blush coating her cheeks.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, I've heard so much about the two of you." He smiled, eyes still locked with Octavia.

With a bit more blood rushing to her cheeks Octavia smiled back at him, "All good things I hope?"

With a slight dip of his head Lincoln replied, charming smile widening, "Definitely"

Her amusement watching her two friends interact warmed Clarkes' heart. She had a feeling that if she ever introduced the two that they would hit it off and seeing the display before her she couldn't help but feel she was right. Not allowing for any shy pauses to begin she quickly pipped up, "So what are you up to?"

Tearing his gaze away from Octavia, Lincoln looked confused and then noticed Clarke eyeing the pieces of paper in his hand which he had long since forgotten.

"Oh! Oh yeah these are to help out a friend, she's doing an experiment for her psych class and needs volunteers."

Her interest spiked upon hearing it was for psychology but before she could say anything Octavia beat her to it.

"What's the experiment?"

Lincoln glanced over to Octavia and again blushed before replying, "It's basically on human interaction, she's looking for volunteers who would be willing to kiss strangers..." He trailed off.

"Oh well we could help out right ladies?" Octavia looked towards Clarke and Raven, urging them with her eyes to agree. She wanted to see Lincoln again, even daring to hope they could be taking part in this experiment with each other.

Lincoln watched on as Raven and Clarke eyed each other as if having a silent conversation before Raven turned to him with a shrug of her shoulders, "Sure, what's the worst that can happen right?" she replied nonchalantly.

All eyes turning to her Clarke smiled, "Well if it's helping a friend of a friend, why not."

"Awesome," Lincoln smiled brightly over to Octavia secretly hoping she either wouldn't really take part or that his friend could do him a solid and match them up, "It's on the second floor of the psych department Friday at 8pm, room 214."

Trying to keep the eagerness out of her voice Octavia asked, "Cool, will we see you there?"

Smiling her direction once again Lincoln nodded, "Yeah, I'll be there." Looking down at the papers again Lincoln smiled sheepishly before continuing, "I better go and put the rest of these up over campus otherwise my friend might kill me if she doesn't have anyone show." Turning to Clarke he embraced her once again, "It was really good to see you Clarke."

Returning the embrace and smile Clarke echoed the sentiments before he pulled away. Turning his attention back to the two girls, "It was great meeting you both," his dazzling smile yet again befalling on Octavia, "I'll see you again Friday."

With that Lincoln walked away from the group, every now and again looking back before rounding a building and disappearing from sight. With him no longer in the vicinity Raven and Clarke turned to Octavia who was on the verge of swooning.

Laughing, Raven pushed her friend slightly before teasing her, "Get a grip of yourself O! I didn't plan on swimming today!"

Coming out of her hormone induced stupor Octavia looked to her friend confused. "What?"

Smirking further Raven continued, "You're drooling."

With a blush Octavia pushed the girl back, "I'm soo not," she weakly defended "but come on! Did you see him?!"

Linking her arms with Raven and Octavia, Clarke let out a laugh, "It's true O, you were blushing so much I thought you would melt."

Scowling Octavia looked to the other two before trying to change the subject and subsequently any further teasing. "Come on let's get some lunch, I'm starving."

With a glint in her eyes Raven pipped up, "Ooh I know what you want to eat, some beefcake!"

Having both friends rip their arms out of hers Clarke couldn't help but laugh as she saw Octavia chasing after Raven, bending down to pick up her sketchbook Clarke couldn't help but to smile and shake her head, Friday was certainly going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2 - Six Degrees of Separation

**A/N - Hey everyone,** **thank you** **for all the follows and favourites :) being a newbie it has for sure put a smile on my face seeing you take an interest in the story. I know the description said two-shot but at the moment I've decided to make it into three chapters. Please feel free to review with any constructive help or if you want the story to continue past the end of the next chapter. I apologize for any mistakes, grammatical or otherwise, sadly English is my first language therefore I have no excuse. With that in mind, hope you all enjoy...**

 **Disclaimer: The 100 unfortunately does not belong to me but rather the CW, if it did though, that deal would never have happened. Sorry but I just don't know how an intelligent character like Lexa went on to make a deal of that nature with NO guarantee for her peoples safety once the mountain men could walk on the ground.**

Reaching her hand out to the bed side table she fumbled trying to find the source of the incessant beeping. Finally lifting her sleepy head and groggily opening one eye she located the source and promptly turned the alarm off before allowing her head to fall back to the pillow until her next alarm thirty minutes later. Not two minutes had passed before she heard the distinct chime and vibration of her cell receiving a text. Groaning she rolled over to the other side of her bed, pulling the cover up higher in a feeble attempt to get back to sleep. It was now Friday and Clarke had been hit by a wave of inspiration last night. Not allowing an ounce of it to escape her grasp she took to the canvas until the early hours of the morning, finally collapsing in bed with half closed eyes and paint dried on her hands around three am. The chime sounded five more times before Clarke gave up on the notion that she could sleep in. Turning back towards her cell phone she ran her hands through her ruffled blonde waves and down her face before sitting up and lifting the offending item. Six new texts received.

 **[Octavia 09:02]** Rise and shine Griffandor! Today is gonna be a beaaautiful day! Xo

 **[Octavia 09:03]** What should I wear for tonight?! Xo

 **[Octavia 09:03]** Think Lincoln would like the outfit I wore to Jaspers games night? Xo

 **[Octavia 09:09]** Griffin get yo shizznit together and get back to me! Xo

 **[Raven 09:11]** I swear to god if you don't answer O back and she keeps texting me for advice, one of you will 'accidently' get electrocuted :

 **[Jasper 09:12]** Hey Clarke! O was telling Monty and I about this thing your heading 2 tonite, mind if we tag along?

Groaning again Clarke replied to them all before Octavia came home to break her door down or worse Raven came looking to for her, that girl was not to be messed with! With a sigh and another rub of the sleep from her eyes she made her way haphazardly to the bathroom, trying to manoeuvre as best she could around the debris of paints, brushes and various other discarded tools of her trade. Slowly but surely the gentle spray of the warm water began to wake her up. Resting her forehead against the cool tiles she couldn't help but feel a nervous excitement over tonight. Sure she had kissed a few guys and girls since starting college that were perfect strangers but at least she had social lubrication. This would be completely different and the mystery of it all intrigued her. Thirty minutes later and finally ready she took off to get a coffee at the coffee house round the corner on her way to campus. Grabbing her caramel Frappuccino and blueberry muffin Clarke settled in the back. Bringing out her sketchbook and notes for her class at eleven with Professor Jaha she popped in her headphones and got lost in music

Entering the coffee shop Lexa couldn't help but groan, raising her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose in exasperation. Beside her stood her friend Anya, a tall lithe woman with lean muscles and a physical presence. Her long dishwater blonde locks cascading down her back with intricate braids woven to either side on her crown and a further braid down the centre. Her sharp features grimaced in annoyance as she surveyed the long line her friend was currently cursing. If it wasn't for their much needed caffeine fix Anya knew they would have turned around and left. Turning to Lexa she sighed, "It's fine, we'll grab our coffees to go, pick up a salad and be back at camp before you know it."

Looking down at her watch Lexa nodded to show she was listening, internally however she was mentally preparing for her day. What had she been thinking with this project she mentally berated herself. Sure it had never been done before and for that she surely deserved some credit but at the same time it made it a risk. What if no one turned up? Lexa didn't like taking risks but Professor Kane had insisted her self-negotiated project on human interaction should be spontaneous and uncontrolled within reason. With the parameters set she had decided to focus upon intimacy, a feeling of which she had long felt deprived. She yearned to remember what it felt like but at the same time she didn't know if she could open herself up to feel that kind of pain again and the loss that always followed it. She had already lost too much. As they waited for their orders to be made Lexa took a quick glance around the room. Her casual observation stopped when she took in the sight of a stunning blonde sitting by herself in the back corner. The girl had her head down in her books but a carefree spirt surrounded her as she bobbed her head to some unknown song she was currently listening to. Lexa couldn't help but take a breath at the sight of the beautiful woman, her slightly tanned face surrounded by waves cascading down to her shoulders and two strands pulled back at each side of her head creating the image of a halo. With a shake of her head she rid herself of her thoughts and turned her attention back to the server who was handing the last of their order to Anya. She's probably straight and has a boyfriend she convinced herself as they walked back out the door.

Making their way to room 214, Lexa saw the gang had already set up the backdrop and video camera as well as the microphone. Lincoln was by the back of the room where he was currently erecting dividing screens to keep as much anonymity as possible for the volunteers. There would be four dividers, one for women who were straight as well as bisexuals who wished to kiss a woman, one for straight men and bisexual men who wished to kiss a man, one for gay men and one for gay women. Chairs were piled at the side waiting to be placed within each section.

To the left of the room her friend Echo was sitting by the MacBook, typing away and occasionally glancing to a piece of paper when she would write something down before continuing with her typing. Walking over to Echo she called out to the girl, "How's it looking so far?"

Lifting her head up to the sound of Lexa's voice Echo smiled and nodded, "It's looking great Commander, we've got six confirmed on Facebook as attending and they have all been assigned an individual arriving time and Lincoln said he had a definite three coming so once I get all the info from him we're all set."

With a curve of her lips and a nod Lexa thanked Echo before making her way over to Lincoln who had just finished setting up the last of the dividing screens. Grabbing a chair she helped him set a few in each area as he smiled over to her, grateful for the help. Once they had finished he looked up to see her smiling at their work.

"Thank you Lincoln, I don't know what I would have done without you." She said sincerely.

Returning her smile and with a cheeky glint in his eye Lincoln couldn't help keep the eagerness from seeping into his tone, "Well…I can think of one way you could help me…"

With a quirked eyebrow from Lexa he continued on, "You see one of the girls coming tonight just so happens to be a friend of a friend that I met when I was placing the flyers up for you, now I know that technically we've met but in reality we are still just strangers so could you, I don't know, maybe help me out and pair us up? I wouldn't ask but there's something about this girl and I just instantly felt connected to her y'know?"

Shaking her head Lexa was about to refuse until she saw the hopeful look in his eye. She tried to convince herself it was a matter of using her head over her heart and sticking to morals and ethical code of both her own belief and that of the experiment but at the same time she couldn't help but to feel she owed it to him. Lincoln had been there for her through both their most difficult time. He had lost a sister and she had lost her girlfriend. Despite his own grief, he and his mother Indra had taken her under their wings until she had turned of age to inherit the money her parents had left her and to this day the two of them still looked out for her. He was a truly selfless man with a heart of gold and had sacrificed his own romantic life to work hard to become a doctor and take care of the two most important women in his life. Using her heart and her head she reasoned that if he was to make such a request of her this girl must truly be something to him, regardless of them having met albeit briefly. With a sigh she conceded defeat and let out, "You're lucky you are like a brother to me."

With a smile that threatened to split his face Lincoln pulled Lexa into a bone crushing hug before she playfully pushed him away. With a cheeky smile he replied, "Yeah, we you _are_ a sister to me."

Putting back on her face of stoicism she left Lincoln to finish tidying the area up and rounded back into the main area of the room. Looking back down at her watch she calculated how long they had until everything would need to begin. Calling out to get the attention of them all she used her most commanding tone, "Right everyone, if I haven't said this already and forget to say it later, I want to thank you all for your help in this study. With that being said it's now eleven forty-five. Nyko can you make sure that the recording equipment is all set up ready to go, Echo can you get the details of the three volunteers from Lincoln and make sure they have all the information they need for later, Anya I need you to make sure there are enough props and I will go make up our questionnaires. If we finish for twelve thirty that gives us a solid six and a half hour break for those of you who have class. Everyone meet back here at seven where we will test the equipment and make sure everything is set for our first arrivals."

With a few nods of heads and a grunt of recognition from Nyko, Lexa turned with a small smile and headed to the printing room. Maybe this study could work after all.

At one o'clock Clarke was happy to be free from her class. Don't get her wrong, she loved Art Theory but Professor Jaha could be a bit much to handle at times with his long winded speeches and on the few hours sleep she had gotten last night, today's class had just been a bit much for her. Switching on her phone she wasn't surprised to see texts from her friends waiting for her.

 **[Octavia 12:01]** Hey C, that's me outta class and Raven said she should be finishing up within the next half hour, get us at the apartment when your out and we can grab some lunch? Xo

 **[Raven 12:45]** I swear all O has talked about since I got back is how dreamy Lincoln is. Save me. Please.

With a smile she took off towards home stopping to buy some groceries on the way. She didn't know how both her room-mates could eat so much, sure Octavia was here on a scholarship for soccer and Raven did boxing but she guessed that she couldn't really complain since she was gifted with a fast metabolism. Still she couldn't put a dent on what those two consumed. Arriving back she found the aforementioned girls spread out on the couch watching Netflix.

"Hey guys, I picked up some things from the store, you ate yet?"

With a dramatic groan Octavia looked up from her awkward position, "Oh thank god Clarke! I'm starving!"

With a roll of her eyes Clarke taunted, "You could always learn to cook so you don't waste away waiting on me to feed you."

Raven smirked in the corner, "Yeah right, let's not have her blow up the apartment, remember the pop tart incident?"

"That would never have happened if you hadn't messed with the wiring of the toaster!" Octavia quickly defended herself.

"What? I was tired of having warm bread instead of toast…" shrugged Raven.

Cutting in before either girl could continue arguing over who was to blame, Clarke quickly offered, "Who wants Macaroni a la Clarke?"

Two sets of eager eyes quickly looked her way and with a laugh Clarke made her way into the kitchen getting to work on lunch. An hour later the three lay sprawled across any surface that was the most comfortable, all clutching their full bellies. Naturally Raven and Octavia had seconds but Clarke had only just managed to empty her own plate. With a sigh she picked herself up off the floor, "Right guys, I'm going to go for a nap and then do some work. What's the plan for later?"

Eyes never leaving the TV Raven replied, "I got some parts to fix at the workshop but should be home by four."

Turning to Octavia she saw the girl grimace, "I have soccer practice at three and won't be back until six."

With a sympathetic nod Clarke bid them good luck and decided they would all get ready together when Octavia got back. The girl loved her soccer but Coach Indra was always hard on her, pushing her to her limits. It was all to make a better player out of her but Clarke thought sometimes she took it a bit too extreme. Settling onto her bed she sent Jasper the plans to meet them at the apartment for six forty-five. As her head hit the pillow she soon felt relief as sleep overtook her.

At seven sharp Lexa entered room 214 and was happy to see Lincoln, Nyko and Echo were already there. Anya had already informed her by text that she would be five minutes late having to stop and get everyone coffee. Walking over to the group her nerves began to dissipate seeing the relaxed smiles on their faces.

"Hey guys, thank you all for being here on time, I appreciate all your hard work today and I know you have work of your own so again, thank you. Truly." She smiled over to them, "That being said, there's still some work to do…"

"Relax Commander," Lincoln interjected, "we got here early and everything is set up and double checked. We're all ready to go." He smiled over to her attempting to calm her nerves. It may not have been noticeable to everyone in the room but Lincoln could always read Lexa better than anyone else could. He had grown up with Lexa thanks to his mom and her parents being friends and when his younger sister Costia began seeing Lexa it had brought the three of them that much closer. As he gazed at the woman in front of him he couldn't feel more proud of who she was becoming, despite their tragic history. He just wished his sister could have been here to see it knowing she too would be proud and although he hated to admit it, he missed the carefree girl Lexa was when Costia was around. There were moments when she still produced that wicked smirk and challenging lift of her brow but they now seemed few and far between and Lincoln wanted nothing more than to see Lexa truly happy again and not just the woman that worked hard towards her future role. Dismissing the thoughts in his head he gestured for her to take the empty seat beside Echo at the desk behind the camera.

With a small smile Lexa took her seat beside Echo, "You guys are amazing." Slinging her backpack off her shoulder she quickly took out the questionnaires she had printed earlier, setting them in a neat pile. "When is our first volunteer to arrive?" She glanced to Echo.

"We have a girl named Harper coming in at 7.15, Monroe coming in at 7.20, a guy called Nathan Miller at 7:25, John Murphy at 7:30, two more girls, Maya coming in at 7:35 and the other, Fox coming in at 7:40, Kyle Wick at 7:45 and we have Lincolns three recruits," glancing at Lincoln she confirmed, "you madee sure they got their time of 7:50?"

Pulling out the cell from his pocket Lincoln looked to see he had one new message waiting from Clarke.

 **[Clarke Griffin 18:15]** Hey Lincoln, yeh we can be there at 7:50, can we add a couple guys on to the list? My friends Japer and Monty really want to come along… Jasper is straight and Monty is gay, will that be a problem at all? Xx

Looking up he glanced at Lexa, "The time won't be a problem, that's good for them and she wants to bring a couple extra friends, two guys."

With a nod Lexa replied, "Great, gives us more to work with."

Echo quickly interrupted, "Wait small issue, including Lincoln volunteering that means we have five straight guys, five straight girls, one gay man and two lesbians. We need another gay man."

"Actually," Lincoln stated looking up from his confirmation to Clarke that everything would be okay for the guys to come, "one of the guys coming is gay so that puts us at two gay men, two lesbians and four straight men."

"Great!" Lexa groaned. "Now we have four straight men and five straight women."

The sound of the door clicking behind drew their attention to Anya walking in, a tray of four takeaway coffee cups in one hand and a single cup in the other.

"Have no fear, coffee is here." She declared happily. "Oh no, why the long faces, what's happened? I thought I told you guys to be here early to make sure everything was ready?"

With a sigh, Lexa ran her hand over her face before reaching for the cup marked with her name, "No everything is great with the set-up, we're all ready to go but we have an issue-"

Before she could finish Lincoln quickly interjected, "Actually there's no issue." He smirked over to them. "My friend is bisexual and I'm pretty sure she would be more than happy to kiss a girl."

"That still doesn't help us Lincoln, we don't have another volunteer to match with her unless someone miraculously appears!" Lexa huffed.

Glancing at Lincoln, Anya too began to smirk, catching on to his subtle implication. "We don't need someone to suddenly appear, we already have her match right here…"

Looking between her two best friends Lexa quickly caught on, "Oh no! No. No. No. Just because I am a lesbian doesn't mean I should be the one to kiss Lincolns friend"

"Why not? You're the only gay here and she likes to kiss girls. It's perfect!" Anya declared happily.

"What about the integrity of the experiment, as my study I should remain impartial." Lexa argued.

"Nonsense, if anything it makes you even more perfect. Not only are the cameras here to capture it all but by participating it means you have a first-hand account to add to your own study." Anya dismissed with a cocky grin.

"But if I'm here running the show then it kind of takes the element of surprise and no longer merits as being qualified as strangers."

"Simple, before she arrives we'll treat you just like one of the other volunteers."

Looking to Lincoln with pleading eyes, she found soft eyes and an encouraging smile. "Go for it Lexa, it's been three years, it's time to move on and start living again, you never know what could happen."

With a heavy heart and a weak nod, Lexa conceded. It was the only way to make the study work.


	3. Chapter 3 - When Two Worlds Collide

**A/N – So here it is everyone. The final chapter to this original two shot and now lengthy three shot. As I have said before if you show it some love and support then I will continue it on as I have a few ideas but that being said if everyone is happy for it to end where it has and you're all satisfied well that makes me happy too** **Much appreciation for those of you who have followed, added it as a favourite and those that have reviewed. As you can tell I am by no means a writer but some of y'all are so awesome at it you've inspired me and well whilst I am no-where near as good to be compared to any of you just think, if you have inspired me then hopefully you've inspired others too that will add equally awesome stories of their own to the growing collection.**

 **Soulterror and monkeygirl11602 thank you for your support in this story as well as my first** **Wkgreen – haha yeah well keep your friends close and enemies closer eh? Nah sometimes friends are the ones to give you the push you need. WeWearSocksFTW – thank you, truly appreciate it. Finally, LordoClexa – I respect your opinion but I'm just saying the twist wasn't for me. Blood must have blood and the loss of those in TonDC just to get back those inside the mountain without any justice seemed non-Grounder to me. I can appreciate the want to keep as many of your people alive but as the Commander said, if death has no meaning, life has no value. 97 years of suffering, I wouldn't have judged her for renegading on the deal with the mountain…**

 **Without further ado, the awesome The 100 does not belong to me but here's one of my takes on its characters if it did…**

 **Chapter 3 – When Two Worlds Collide.**

Looking at her phone Clarke let out a relieved breathe that Lincoln had replied saying the boys were more than welcome to join. With a quick glance at her watch it was now twenty past six and Octavia should be back any moment from her practice. With a quick text to Jasper and Monty she confirmed for them to meet at the apartment for half seven, giving them enough time to make the walk to campus. Stretching her arms up over her she rolled her neck and shoulders, attempting to work out the kinks from being hunched over her canvas for the last forty-five minutes. With one last glance at her work her eyes roamed over its textures with an approval before making her way to her bathroom to freshen up. Twenty minutes later she wandered over to her wardrobe to decide on an outfit for this evening. It may only be a kiss she would be sharing and the first and last time she would meet this person but regardless she still wanted to make a good impression. She settled on a pair of skinny grey jeans, her long white fears vs dreams vest top and a tight fitting black leather jacket. Completing the outfit she grabbed a pair of boots and made her way to the bathroom where she lightly applied some mascara and eyeliner. Leaving her hair to dry so it would fall into its natural curly waves she gave herself an approving once over before making her way to the living room.

Entering the room she saw Raven was dressed in a pair of tight fitting blue jeans, a grey top and her red leather jacket hung over the side of the couch. Perking up from her book she gave an approving glance at Clarke before raising an inquisitive eyebrow, "Hoping for more than a kiss tonight Princess?"

With a roll of her eyes Clarke shook her head, "Shut it Reyes, it may just be a kiss but a girl can still make an effort." With a small push she settled in beside the engineering student who smirked at her in return.

"Well I don't know about you two ladies but I am hoping to get more than a kiss tonight!" Octavia announced as she entered the room. She had on a pair of black jeans that looked as if they had been painted on, a tight white shirt that accentuated the curve of her waist and was unbuttoned enough to tease her ample cleavage but not enough to be un-classy.

"Woot woo! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Raven encouraged as Octavia did a spin before shooting a wink at both girls and moving to return Ravens waiting high five.

Laughing at the antics of her two friends Clarke once again checked her watch, "Okay well keep it in your pants for now ladies, the boys should be here in twenty."

"Awesome, pizza should be here in five which means more for us!" Octavia exaggerated, pumping her fist in the air.

Twenty minutes later the buzzer to the apartment rang as expected and Clarke set her slice down as she wandered over to the intercom to buzz their friends in. A couple minutes later two skinny boys walked in, Jasper in a pair of blue jeans and a casual shirt and Monty following behind in tan chinos with a black sweater. Entering the living room Japer let out a groan, "Man I knew we should have got here earlier!" He whined as he took in the sight of Octavia biting into another slice.

Wiggling her brows and with a mouthful of pizza she teased, "Oooh man, it's soo good…"

"-it's cool guys, I saved you some." Clarke cut in opening the pizza box to reveal a couple slices left for each of them.

Monty smiled over at her thankfully whilst Jasper grasped her shoulder and looked her dead in the eye with mock seriousness, "My saviour!"

Watching the boys dig in she called out over her shoulder, "Eat fast guys we leave in five." With that she went to brush her teeth before they left.

With a smile Anya watched Kyle Wick being led away by Echo to the waiting area. "Okay Lexa you're up." She smiled innocently over to her friend.

Lexa wrung her hands as her stomach dropped. With the volunteers coming in a steady stream she had put it to the back of her mind that she would be participating but now time had run out and she couldn't help feeling overwhelmed.

Sensing her friends discomfort Anya reached over and took her hands in her own giving them a comforting squeeze. "It's okay Lex, it's just a kiss. It doesn't have to mean anything. You do need to do this though, it's been long enough, you can't keep your life on hold for the past. She wouldn't have wanted that, you need to open yourself up to the idea of moving on and this is the first step to getting there okay?"

With a deep breath Lexa fought at the burn that threatened behind her eyes, closing them she repeated to herself that her friend was right. She knew that her friends were looking out for her and that she couldn't cling to the past forever. It didn't make it any easier to let go however. Opening her eyes she gave a small nod to Anya.

Dropping Lexa's hand Anya reached under the desk into the small container and pulled out a blindfold as Echo re-joined them. As she tied it carefully behind Lexa's head she whispered comfortingly in her ear, "It'll all be okay. Besides don't worry, I got your back, if the girl isn't a total hottie I'll tell her we don't have enough volunteers."

With a small laugh and the hint of a smile threatening to appear Lexa nodded, "Thank you Anya."

With that Anya guided her up from the seat and led Lexa to the waiting area making sure she was settled before returning to the desk. As she sat down a small knock at the door drew their attention before Echo yelled, "Come in!"

As the door opened Anya saw the last five volunteers they were expecting enter the room. She immediately scanned the group taking them in. She saw the three women and one man making their way in confidently whilst the other guy stayed to the back, almost shy. As they made their way over to the desk Echo greeted them warmly.

"Hi everyone and welcome, thank you for volunteering to be here tonight. If you could all just fill out these forms here, one is the video release form as we will be filming the experience and the other is just a short questionnaire with your details, contact information and sexual preference as well as your consent to participate and follow the rules of our experiment."

Anya watched the three girls wondering which one was Lincoln's friend that would be kissing Lexa and questioning if she would be good enough, before she could ask one of the brunettes spoke up.

"Where's Lincoln?" Octavia questioned glancing around the room noticing only one young man was present and currently seated behind the camera.

"Are you Lincoln's friend?" Anya questioned the girl. Sure she was attractive, that she couldn't deny, but something about the girl just didn't seem to be Lexa's type.

Before the girl could reply however the blonde girl stepped forward and cut in, "No that would be me, Clarke Griffin." The girl smiled over at her extending her hand. Studying her closely Anya reached her own out to meet the girl and gave her hand a firm shake.

"I'm Anya, the assistant co-ordinator," she smiled dropping her hand, "how do you know Lincoln?"

"Oh we used to be in Pre-Med together." Clarke replied looking down to fill in the rest of her form.

"Used to?"

Looking back up to Anya's curious gaze, Clarke continued, "Yeah we met in Pre-Med but I switched majors to Art this year."

"That's quite a change…" Anya pried, hoping to understand this girl a little more before she agreed to let her kiss her friend.

"Yeah I guess you could put it like that. Most people are shocked by it when I tell them, and my Mom doesn't agree with it, but art has always been a passion of mine and some things happened in the last year that made me change my perception of life y'know? So with that I decided to start living my life for me and not for others and decided to follow my passion." Clarke finished looking up at the girl who appeared to be sizing her up.

Satisfied with her answer Anya nodded and smiled. Lincoln had made a good choice, Clarke was clearly intelligent and brave to follow her dreams against others wishes. Again she couldn't help but notice like all the girls in front of her, Clarke was certainly beautiful. Her looks were the complete opposite of Costia and for that Anya was thankful that there wouldn't be any reminders to bring feelings of guilt to Lexa once they revealed themselves.

Receiving a light nudge in her side Clarke glanced to her side to see Octavia giving her a pointed glare. "Oh, yeah, so where is Lincoln tonight?" Clarke questioned looking to both the girls behind the desk.

Echo replied for them both since Anya appeared to still be looking at Clarke intently. "He'll be around, I'm sure you'll see him soon…" She replied cryptically to Octavia.

With a small huff from the disappointed girl they all finished their forms before handing them back to Echo and Anya who produced blindfolds from under their desk.

"What are those for?" The shy boy at the back of the group piped up.

"These," Anya replied holding one of the black blindfolds up, "are for you guys. All our volunteers are behind those screens behind you and wearing one. We ask our participants wear them to ensure that you are completely unaware of who you will be matched with before we begin even though we have already taken pre-cautions. You will also wear them when we bring you up to the staging area here for the kiss. Our group leader wants to capture intimacy between two strangers without restraint. She feels that if people are given the opportunity to look at each other we can make assumptions and pre-conceived ideas about our partners without truly knowing them. This adds to the mystery and intimacy of the experience. After your kiss you may remove the blindfold to see your partner and if you wish to kiss again afterwards by all means feel free."

"Kinky." The girl in the red jacket stepped forward. "What are we waiting for?"

As the group stepped forward Echo put blindfolds on Monty, Jasper and Raven whilst Anya placed one on Octavia and stepped forward towards Clarke. Before placing the blindfold on the girl she double checked, "You're form says you're bisexual, would it be okay to partner you up with a girl?"

"Not a problem." Clarke smiled as the blindfold was finally placed over her eyes.

With the help of Artigas the group were carefully led behind the screens and seated in their appropriate areas.

Taking charge, Anya stood in the centre, raising her voice so all participants could hear. "Right everyone, that's us now got everyone here. We'll begin just shortly with our first couple, just a reminder to keep your blindfold on at all times until after you have kissed your partner at which time you may remove it. **Please keep quiet** ," She empathised, "as we will be filming behind you all and it would be rude to interrupt." Looking to Echo she saw a thumbs up from the girl indicating Artigas was ready. She proceeded, "Okay let's begin!" With that she stepped up to Jasper and grasped his hand, "You're up."

With a smile Jasper felt himself being led to the stage area whilst Echo did the same with a girl. As they were placed to stand in front of each other Anya and Echo left to sit behind the desk. "Okay guys we're rolling, when you're ready."

Jasper shuffled awkwardly on the spot, "Hey, I'm Jasper." He introduced himself with a smile. He felt silly wearing the blindfold not knowing where the girl was in front of him.

"Maya." Came the shy reply.

"Nice to meet you Maya, that's a beautiful name." With a shy smile Maya looked down unseeingly at the floor. Tentatively she reached her hands forward towards Jasper and slid her hands down his sleeves until she found his hands. With a small gulp they swallowed their nerves and he took her hands in his own.

"Thank you. Your name is pretty cool, I like it."

"Thanks, so are you ready to do this? I mean, you know, when you're ready."

"Sure, let's do it." She replied.

As they both started leaning in they accidently bumped heads and recoiled back slightly, still keeping a hold on one another.

"Sorry!" They said in unison, both smiling unknowingly at one another.

"That's okay, my fault." Jasper replied sincerely.

"Let's try again, I'll go left and you go right." Maya giggled.

"Right."

With that they both leaned in again and slowly brought their heads together. With a soft graze they brought their lips together slowly, testing each other in feather light kisses. Finding a new found confidence Jasper raised his hand up to cup Mayas cheek as she mirrored him and brought one hand up to clasp the back of his head, keeping their other hands interlocked. With a further few kisses she shyly broke away from him and moved her free hand into his.

"Okay, that was… yeah, that was amazing." He said taking a deep breath.

With a blush creeping up her skin Maya bobbed her head in agreement, quietly agreeing, "Yeah."

Smiling at the pair Anya called out, "Okay guys, you may remove your blindfolds."

As Jasper went to lift his hands to remove his Maya quickly stopped him, "Let me."

Hesitantly he dropped his hands back to his side, "ehm…yeah, sure."

Letting go of his hands she quickly undid her own blindfold and smiled at the sight of the adorable man in front of her, his shaggy brown hair resting on top of the blindfold at the sides of his head. As she moved her right hand to work on the blindfold she stepped closely into him again and used her left hand to cup his cheek, bringing him in again for another slow kiss as she finished unloosing the knot. Without hesitation he kissed her back and even as he felt the blindfold being brought away from his face he kept his eyes closed, reaching to cup her face as he deepened the kiss. A few seconds later he felt her pull away again and slowly opened his eyes as a dazed smile lit up his face.

"Sorry, it's just, you were really cute and I wanted to kiss you again." Maya admitted shyly, looking down to the floor as the blush once again rose up her pale neck to her cheeks.

"No, no, don't apologise, any time. Honestly, feel free." He smiled wider at the girl before him, taking in her dark eyes and long curly dark hair. He may have once had a crush on Octavia a long time ago but he couldn't believe how pretty the girl was that stood before him.

Glancing back up at the eager boy she smiled again before stretching her hand out, "It was nice to meet you Jasper."

Keeping his eyes on her he stretched his own out to meet her and lightly shook it, smiling at her he replied just as sincerely, "It was a pleasure to meet you too."

With a giggle Maya then turned towards the desk, Jasper following suit.

With a smile Anya stood up, "That was great guys, thank you. Maya you are free to go if you want, there's some food and drinks next door in 215 to say thank you if you want. Jasper your friends are here so we can lead you blindfolded back to the waiting area or you can feel free to hang out next door too."

Looking at Maya he questioned, "Do you wanna maybe grab something with me?"

With a smile Maya nodded and took his offered hand as they left the room together.

As Echo brings out the next two participants and places them on stage once again Anya calls out to them that they may begin.

"Hi I'm Harper." The girl introduced herself.

"What's up, you can call me your lucky night." The guy smirks arrogantly, stepping right into Harpers space. Before the girl can reply and voice her distaste he suddenly reaches forward and manages to pull her face in close to his, kissing her as if he was gods gift to women. As quick as she can the girl pushes him away and whips the blindfold off her face.

"Are you kidding me?!" She shouts before slapping him and storming from the room. Clasping his cheek Murphy quickly removes his own blindfold, looking around wildly for the girl.

"What's the problem?!"

Quickly wiping the shock from her face, Echo stands up from the desk, "Maybe you should leave."

With a roll of his eyes Murphy moves to walk past the table, "Pfft, you girls have lost out with this one." He says raising his hands to point at himself as he backs out of the room. "Later biatches."

With a disgusted shake of her head Anya gets up to get their next volunteers, "Sorry guys, please ignore our last couple, that guy was a jerk. If anyone else here tries something like that walk out now because this isn't what our experiment is for." With no one speaking up Anya quickly prepares the next two on stage before continuing on.

As the two men stand awkwardly in front of each other Anya clears her throat before reminding them that they may begin.

"Sorry, I'm kind of new to this." The taller man begins.

"Me too." Monty admits shyly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I mean, I've known I was gay for a while but I just haven't met anyone I've really liked…"

"Oh. Well if it helps, I've only just come out…"

"Yeah? How did it go?"

"Well I thought it would go pretty bad, my Dad is in the military and everything but it was actually really great. He kind of surprised me taking it so well. I suppose I kind of expected him to re-act badly but he actually pulled me in for a hug and told me that he was proud to have me as a son and that nothing would change that."

"That's awesome." Monty smiled, his own parents hadn't taken it so well and they rarely spoke with the distance between them but at least over time things were slowly getting better.

"Yeah." The guy smiled to himself. "Oh I'm sorry I'm Nathan, but most people call me Miller."

"Nice to meet you Miller, I'm Monty."

With a small laugh Miller continued, "Soo…this is a little awkward…"

With a nervous laugh of his own Monty nodded his head, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Yeah a little bit…"

"Okay, how about a deep breath and then would it be okay if I came in closer?"

Monty ducked his head still bouncing on his feet, feeling the nervousness tear through him. Letting out a deep breath he found a little courage, "Okay, yeah. That sounds good."

With a deep breath of his own Miller moved closer and sensed he was right in front of the equally nervous Monty. He raised his arms and then quickly stopped them mid-air, "Do you mind, I mean, would you mind if I put my arms around you?" He stuttered out nervously.

Swallowing deeply Monty nodded his head, "Uh-yeah. Yeah, go for it."

"Okay." With that Miller reached his right hand out and felt it come into contact with a shoulder, his left hand instinctively found what he hoped was a hip and sure enough feeling the contrast of fabrics he then moved his right hand up the contour of the smaller boy's body until it was placed around his neck. With a smaller more calming breath he leaned his head in towards Monty, "Can I kiss you?"

Feeling the smaller boy nod his head and a hand settle on his own hip he tilted the boys head up as he slowly brought down his own. As their lips first met they began softly, slowly getting accustomed to each other. Once they found a steady rhythm Monty took the bold move and slowly let his tongue touch Millers top lip. A second later the taller boy granted him entry and Monty slowly raised himself onto the tip of his feet to get better access to the boys' mouth to deepen the kiss. As Miller pulled him closer towards him Monty slid his hand up from its position on Millers waist to the back of his neck. Gentle tongues met, exploring each other tentatively before slowly retreating. With a couple more soft pecks on their lips both boys drew back slightly, staying in an embrace.

"Well that is definitely a first kiss to remember." Miller breathed out.

Slowly planting his feet firmly back on the ground Monty breathed out an agreement of his own, "Yeah."

Untangling their limbs both men slowly took off the black fabric around their eyes and looked at each other smiling.

"Hi…" Monty raised his hand up abashedly.

"Hi," Nathan returned, ducking his own head this time. As he raised a hand to run over his head, he looked back up to the cute guy before him and timidly asked, "Do you mind if I give you a hug?"

With a small smile Monty opened his arms slightly, "No, not at all."

As the two men embraced they held on to each other, as Miller slid his hands up and down Monty's back he leaned his head down and whispered into his ear, "Thank you." Looking up at the young man, Monty raised his hand up to his jaw and felt the small amount of stubble he had felt prickle his face earlier. With his thumb grazing over it he looked into Millers eyes. "Thank you." With one last smile at each other they broke apart and turned towards the table.

As Anya escorted them out the room Echo brought out Lincoln and whispered "Good taste Lincs."

With a smile he waited patiently until he heard Octavia being led towards him. Hearing Anya in the background call out they were ready his smile grew as he thought of the girl before him who he hadn't been able to stop thinking about the past few days.

"So…" Octavia began awkwardly, her normal confidence escaping her as the disappointment of not seeing Lincoln persisted in her mind.

"Well I don't know about you but I've been waiting to do this for a while now…" He smirked.

Hearing the familiar voice Octavia thought she was maybe dreaming or tricking herself into thinking the guy before her could be Lincoln. She raised her hands up and suddenly came into contact with a hard muscled chest. Smile widening she let out a small laugh as she stepped closer to him.

"What are you waiting for?" She challenged feeling her confidence come back with a renewed force.

Not wasting another second Lincoln stepped forward as he felt his body come into contact with hers, her arms sliding up and around his neck. Reaching his arms around her waist he easily picked her up and brought her tightly in close to him. Hearing her release a laugh he felt her bring her face closer to his and a hand slide up to brush alongside his jaw as her lips met his. As soon as their lips met he kissed her hungrily and with a passion he had long kept at bay. With a small moan into his mouth Octavia returned the kiss with equal fever. As he slowly placed her back on the ground his hands crept up until they were gently holding each side of her face. Slowly bringing the kiss to an end he pulled back from her lips before placing a delicate kiss on her forehead then her nose before one final kiss on her lips again.

"Definitely worth the wait." He smiled still keeping her close.

"Definitely." She agreed quickly pulling her blindfold off before reaching for his.

Eyes locking they stayed pressed against each other, his arms around her back and hers, one around his waist whilst the other rested behind his neck.

Eyebrow raised she looked up at his with a cheeky glint in her eye, "Don't wait as long next time."

Smirking down at her he didn't waste a moment before kissing her again. As they kissed just as ferociously as their first they eventually remembered where they were and he reluctantly pulled away before turning to Anya and Echo who had the biggest smirks plastered across their faces. Clearing his throat he looked away embarrassed before turning back to Octavia and reaching out his hand. Happily accepting it the two of them quickly left the room oblivious to the smirks also on Raven, Clarke and Lexa's faces.

Walking once again behind the screen Anya cleared her throat, "Okay now that all the sexual tension has left the room, let's get our next couple up." She joked.

Raven felt herself being led up and back to the main area of the room before being stopped in what she assumed was where she was to kiss her stranger. Hopefully it would go as well as it clearly had for Octavia she thought to herself. As a figure was placed before her she stood up straighter, ready to accept the challenge.

"So, think you can live up to the last guy?" She teased.

"Please." The guy responded cockily, "I guarantee when these things are off you'll be wanting more."

Rolling her eyes and crossing her arms with no effect she snorted, "Mhmm, sure. Show me what you got hot shot."

Taking the initiative and invitation Wick stepped forward until he felt his feet come into contact with that of the girl, reaching his hands out he felt them come into contact with her shoulders and immediately brought them up a slender neck over prominent collar bones until they rested on soft defined cheeks. Pulling her in close to him he wasted no time in joining their lips and kissing her soundly. Pulling back, Raven slowly dropped her hands from his arms and couldn't help but think that the guy maybe had been right to be so confident. With any luck when she saw him he would be good looking too. As she got her first look at him she couldn't help but feel he seemed familiar from somewhere.

Eyeing her appreciatively, Wick smiled his most charming smile. "So how was that for a kiss…?"

"Raven," She replied trying to recall why he seemed familiar to her. "It was alright…" She trailed off.

"Alright?" He pretended to be offended, "That was better than alright, I should know, not only am I great at engineering but I'm fantastic at chemistry and this," he pointed between them, "is sheer chemistry."

Rolling her eyes again Raven stopped him before his ego could get any bigger, "Sure…?" She waited for him to supply his name as she oozed sarcasm.

"Wick, Kyle Wick." He supplied bowing down and extending his hand to take hers.

"Ewww! Gross! _**You're Kyle Wick**_?!" She grimaced stepping back from him.

Standing back up he looked at her confused, "Yeah, why?"

Letting out a groan and an annoyed huff she looked back over at him, "I'm Raven, Raven Reyes." She shot him a pointed look.

"Ohh." He suddenly realised mentally berating himself for not connecting the dots sooner. "You're-"

"-Yeah," She quickly cut him off. Not wasting a second she turned to the two baffled girls at the desk, "Are we free to go now?"

Not knowing what to say both Anya and Echo nodded still befuddled at what had just transpired before them. As much as they hated to admit it the cocky guy was right, before they took off their blindfolds there had been clear chemistry between the two. They continued to watch on as Raven quickly made her way out the room before hearing Wick call out after her.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, I'm hard to resist. You know where to find me." Looking over to the two women now staring at him he shuffled awkwardly on stage "She'll be back." As a few awkward seconds passes with no one speaking up he stuffed his hands into his pockets and nodded his head towards the door. "Soo…I'm just gonna go."

Again not knowing what to say or do both girls and even Artigas nodded their heads as they watched him leave before Anya and Echo looked at each other wondering how on earth they had managed to find some of these people. With a sigh Echo stood up to get the second last participants of the night.

Hearing the girl being moved from beside her Lexa felt her heart rate speed up. She had been listening intently to every couple as they had made their way on and off the stage but now she knew that she was the last to go and by her count, up next. She couldn't even hear the rest of the room now as the blood pounded in her ears. Bouncing nervously in her chair she mentally cursed Professor Kane for this assignment, Lincoln and Anya for suggesting she take part and finally herself for even agreeing in the first place. Unlike the girl a couple of stalls along from her Clarke herself is feeling a different kind of nervousness as she realises she is up next. Surprisingly though it's a nervous excitement instead of a fearful one. Oddly she finds the whole experience inspiring listening to the different reactions she has heard over the last, well she's not sure really how long she has been here. If anything though she feels happy for Octavia, clearly she and Lincoln had kissed. Monty and Jasper both sounded as if theirs had gone reasonably well. As for Raven she was going to need to ask her later if that had been the guy her friend had ranted about on several occasions. She could only hope her own experience goes nothing like the one where she is sure she heard a girl slap the boy she had been paired with. Before she can think further on why she chose to kiss a girl she hears someone make their presence known before her.

"Last but not least, you're up."

Smiling up towards the girls' voice she feels a hand take her arm and guide her to position.

"Okay sweetie, it's now or never." Anya whispers softly beside her.

"How about never?" Lexa whispers back moving the object from her eyes so she can see her friend.

"Hey, don't be like that. You remember the promise I made to you earlier, we'll I've stuck to my word, she's a hottie." Anya winks.

"Anya, it's not about her looks. This is just a big deal for me."

"I know it is Lex, but trust me. I think you would approve of her and as I said, it doesn't have to mean anything or go anywhere, okay?" With a small sigh and almost unperceivable nod of Lexa's head Anya smiles. "Good, let's go." She says as she pulls the fabric back down over Lexa's eyes. With a reassuring squeeze on her hand she stops Lexa adjacent to the blonde and walks back to the desk, confirming with Artigas that he's ready.

"Okay ladies, when you're ready." She calls.

"So come her often?" Clarke jokes trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I kind of do." Lexa replies still feeling the nervousness swim through her system.

"Really?" Clarke inquires, "You've done this before?"

"Oh, this, no." Lexa shakes her head. "No, I mean I haven't done anything like this before but I do some psychology classes so technically I do come here often."

"Ah, that's awesome." Clarke smiles, "I love psychology."

Lexa knows what the girl is doing, she knows the girl is trying to make a connection with her and ease the tension that is evident in her voice.

"Really?" She questions trying to keep the doubt from seeping in to her tone.

"Yeah!" She hears the passionate reply. "I love watching people and seeing how they interact, thinking about how things affect people. Knowing what makes people to do what they do and why. It's fascinating."

"Spoken like a true psych major." Lexa teases. She hates to admit it to herself but hearing the girls voice and enthusiasm is clearly having the desired affect and she can feel herself slowly becoming more comfortable but the erratic beat of her heart is still present.

The girl laughs softly and Lexa can't help but smile at the sound. "No, actually I'm an art student but I like to sit in on classes every once in a while. I think it helps with my work you know, thinking about what inspires me, what draws others towards certain art, what provokes a reaction from them by different pieces of work." She trails off from her passionate speech. Lexa can't see the girl but she knows she is smiling and again she can't help but mirror the gesture even if it's almost a secret between them.

"Well you've certainly got me interested in seeing your work now." As soon as the words leave her mouth she mentally berates herself for not thinking before speaking.

Unknowingly Clarkes smile widens as she replies, "Yeah? Well you may be in luck; I have a small showcase just after break."

With a gulp Lexa nods, not trusting her voice again for now. Before an awkward silence can ensue Clarke speaks up, "So, before I kiss you, think I could get your name?"

Lexa's heart spikes as she is reminded yet again of why she is standing in front of this stranger blindfolded. Trying to find her voice in her suddenly dry throat she swallows before replying. "Le-Lexa."

"That's a beautiful name." Clarke thinks out loud, before realising she actually said it. With a blush she lowers her head. She briefly wonders what the girl is like in front of her. Clearly she is nervous but she did register the playful tone earlier when she thought she was a psychology major. Before she can think further on the matter she's brought out of her thoughts by Lexa.

"What's yours?" Lexa asks, trying to distract herself from the compliment and potential blush her friends may be witnessing.

"Clarke. It's lovely to meet you Lexa."

"Clarke." She says aloud, tasting the name. She likes it, she may not know the girl but from what she can tell it suits her and her personality. Individual and strong.

An involuntary burst of butterflies flutter in Clarke's stomach hearing Lexa say her name. Something about the way she pronounces it makes Clarke wish she could capture the sound and the feeling it provokes.

"So Lexa," She begins, trying to get control of herself, "is this the awkward part right here?" She teases.

With a small laugh, arms circled behind her back Lexa replies, "I guess so."

With a laugh of her own Clarke smiles and steps forward ever so slightly not wanting to scare the girl. "Okay well how about we start slow?"

"Slow is good." Lexa nods and brings her arms from her back to lie restlessly at her side.

With that Clarke smiles and steps forward until she feels she is standing within Lexa's personal space. She slowly reaches her hand out and feels it brush along Lexa's. At first Lexa jolts at the contact but taking a steadying breath she lets Clarke slowly take it in her own and in kind she pushes herself to take Clarkes other free hand in hers.

"Is this okay?" She hears Clarke say softy.

She doesn't know how she does it but she manages out a small "Yeah." The feeling of Clarke's hands in hers sends a wave of electricity through her fingertips and as Clarke slowly trails her hands up her arms she can feel it follow every pattern the girls' fingers trail. As her fingertips slowly glide over the soft exposed expanse of her neck Lexa feels it burn in their wake. A small smouldering waiting for a spark to ignite. She feels Clarke's forehead touch her own and realises the girl is just a little shorter than her as her body becomes flush against her own. Licking her lips in anticipation she brings her own hands up to rest on Clarkes lower back, feeling the muscles twitch at her touch and her body react by pushing into her own fractionally. Feeling a small surge of confidence she pulls Clarke that little bit closer to herself until their lines blur, meshing into one. With a small hitch in her breath Clarke presses her forehead against Lexa and nuzzles her nose against the taller girls before turning her head as her cheeks brush along the prominent ones of Lexa's. With a lick of her lips she slowly presses them gently against the soft ones of Lexa's. With a couple delicate kisses she teasingly explores the other girl. She feels the fingertips gently pull deeper into her back and shivers at the contact. Resting her own hands to cup the girls face she turns her head and whispers in Lexa's ear.

"Don't hold back."

With those three words Lexa feels the spark ignite and suddenly both sets of lips are on each other again. What had started out gentle had transitioned into full blown passion as those three words repeated in Lexa's head. The butterflies in her stomach had turned into a full blown tornado and as their tongues glided so naturally against each other she instinctively found her hands rising of their own accord to get lost in a sea of wavy curls.

Pulling back they both took in a much needed breath. Lowering her arms, Clarke encircled Lexa's neck with one whilst the other kept her close around her waist. Lexa felt Clarke rest her forehead against hers again and smiled when the girl breathed out.

"Wow."

Not knowing where she found her bold confidence, Lexa placed another soft kiss on Clarkes lips, feeling the girl melt against her. With a gently tug on Lexa's upper lip, Clarke kissed it again before pulling back smiling.

With her jaw almost on the floor and Echo's eyes as wide as saucers it was Artigas who broke the moment as he slowly moved. The almost imperceptible sound alerting the girls to their surroundings.

Remembering where they were Lexa moved to untangle herself mumbling out a small apology. Clarke laughed as she undid the knot and let the fabric fall from her face. She looked up as Lexa too let hers fall to the ground and as their eyes connected she heard Lexa breathe out a small "Wow."

With a blush Clarke looked down before returning her gaze to Lexa. She noticed the blush immediately make its way up the sun kissed skin of the girls neck to her cheeks that Clarke swore must have been sculpted on. As they locked eyes Clarke got lost in forest green whilst Lexa drowned in a sea of paradise blue. They were as clear as the purest water and vibrant, the blonde loose waves that framed her perfect features reminded her of golden sands.

They hid it well but Clarke was positive she was looking at the girl she had drawn a few days before when she had met Lincoln, although now there was no doubt in her mind how stunning the woman was, more so than she initially thought. Lexa too was sure she recognised the blonde but at the moment her thoughts were still on the feeling of ghost lips touching hers. Licking them again she focused her mind on what she should be doing and turned to the shocked faces of her friends. With a small giggle Clarke too turned, almost bashful as she kept her arm around Lexa's back.

"That was great ladies." Anya finally found her voice. "Clarke, you're friends are in room 215 waiting for you."

With another laugh Clarke once again felt herself blush. "Oh my god! Is it bad that I forgot about them?" She raised one hand to cover her face. Lexa smiled at the adorable sight despite herself. She kept repeating in her head to remain calm and focused but her heart was no longer feeling like it was ready to give out but was now steadily thumping at a quick pace as she took in the charming girl with an infectious laugh before her.

Anya smiled over at her as Clarke turned towards Lexa. Before turning her full attention back to Clarke, Lexa caught the glimpse of a smirk and a raised eyebrow from Anya at the edge of her peripheral vision.

With a smile Clarke looked at Lexa sincerely before leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek. Whispering once more in her ear Lexa was left with the sight of a cheeky smile and glint in turquoise eyes as she watched the girl leave the room, occasionally glancing back at her. The words, "May we meet again" on constant repeat between her ears.


End file.
